By Eulalee Thompson
The body apparently has an inborn capacity to heal itself and according to Dr. Herbert Benson, U.S. cardiologist now turned mind/body medicine expert, this healing potential is unleashed when we practise 'the relaxation response'.
THE RELAXATION response can be elicited by using a simple technique consisting of four steps -- finding a quiet environment; consciously relaxing the body's muscles; focusing for 10 to 20 minutes on a word (for example, love or peace) or a short prayer and brushing aside intrusive thoughts.
In this special state, it is reported that the heart rate is lowered, the rate of breathing decreases, the blood pressure is lowered, brain waves become slower and there is an overall reduction in the speed of the metabolism.
Practising this technique once or twice daily, Dr. Herbert Benson, professor of cardiovascular medicine and founder of the Mind and Body Institute at (U.S.) Harvard Medical School, says that each individual can reverse heart disease, lower hypertension and improve overall health and well-being.
It's no hocus-pocus, according to Dr. Benson; the reported health benefits of mind/body medicine is based on scientific evidence. He said that when people allow their minds to reach a state of deep relaxation, the body is stimulated to secrete nitric oxide, an internal antibiotic, which prevents infection and stimulates cell repair.
Nitric oxide, the researchers at the Mind and Body Institute also say directly counteracts the actions of the stress hormone, norepinephrine. Since the premise is that stress causes or aggravates some disease processes, then relieving stress, using the relaxation response, is treatment for many stress-related conditions.
For five minutes or so recently, the packed ballroom at Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus Hotel was quiet except for the jarring hum of the air-conditioning unit. Participants in the ballroom were following the instructions of Dr. Benson, who was 'teleconferenced' from the Harvard Medical School during a symposium on mind/body medicine. People with their eyes closed were deeply breathing in and out. On the 'out' breath, they were instructed to say in their minds, any chosen word or thought -- such as 'love' or 'peace' or a short prayer.
At the end of the five-minute exercise, many people reported that their breathing had slowed, their headache had passed, their stress was relieved and they felt more at peace.
Dr. Benson told the audience that mind/body medicine is conceptualised in the analogy of a three-legged stool of health and well being. The first leg is about pharmaceuticals, second, surgery and procedures and the third is self-care. Self-care includes the relaxation response and beliefs and actions that promote good nutrition, exercise and stress management.
Mind/body medicine is less about tangible things that can be measured and quantified and more about an individual's belief system -- the way he interprets his reality. One's potential for well being is shaped by one's negative or positive thoughts. Dr. Benson stressed however, that mind/body medicine must be integrated with conventional medicine in a system of complete healthcare.
